TeletónUSA's child rehab center prepares to open doors

People tour the space-themed hallway of the Children's Rehabilitation Institute of TeletónUSA. The clinic will serve children with neuromusculoskeletal disorders, and is set to open at the end of October.

People tour the space-themed hallway of the Children's Rehabilitation Institute of TeletónUSA. The clinic will serve children with neuromusculoskeletal disorders, and is set to open at the end of October.

Photo: Photos By Cynthia Esparza / For The Express-News

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Daniel Canales, 2, checks out part of the reception area of the rehab center.

Daniel Canales, 2, checks out part of the reception area of the rehab center.

Photo: For the San Antonio Express-News

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Exercise rails and walk rails are installed in the pool of the Children's Rehabilitation Institute of TeletónUSA. The center plans on serving 600 patients per year.

Exercise rails and walk rails are installed in the pool of the Children's Rehabilitation Institute of TeletónUSA. The center plans on serving 600 patients per year.

Photo: Photos By Cynthia Esparza / For The Express-News

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Jenn Stevenson, who works with Eva's Heroes, takes a tour of the rehab center, which will consider patients regardless of their income level or whether they lack insurance.

Jenn Stevenson, who works with Eva's Heroes, takes a tour of the rehab center, which will consider patients regardless of their income level or whether they lack insurance.

Photo: For the San Antonio Express-News

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Andres Ruz touches up the paint inside the San Antonio facility, which will open its doors Oct. 30.

Andres Ruz touches up the paint inside the San Antonio facility, which will open its doors Oct. 30.

Photo: For the San Antonio Express-News

TeletónUSA's child rehab center prepares to open doors

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SAN ANTONIO — A new pediatric rehabilitation center in San Antonio — funded by a popular Spanish-language telethon — will begin enrolling patients Oct. 1 with the goal of providing outpatient therapy to 600 children per year suffering from neuromuscular or skeletal disabilities.

Children's Rehabilitation Institute of TeletónUSA, the nonprofit fundraiser's first such facility in the United States, opens Oct. 30 and will consider patients regardless of their income level or whether they lack insurance. The colorful rehab center, built in the Longhorn Quarry, follows a clinic model that its sister organization, Fundación Teletón, has widely replicated across Mexico.

The facility will be open to children with cerebral palsy, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, genetic or congenital disorders, amputations or neuromuscular disorders, said CEO Ricardo Guzman. It will also provide early intervention services for children facing neurological risks.

“There are a lot of needs, a lot of children with disabilities in the States,” Guzman said.

Health & Family

The San Antonio site is the first of several pediatric rehab centers that Teletón will build in the U.S. The group plans to raise enough funds to build an additional site every two years for the next decade, Guzman said.

Teletón is well known in Mexico, where it was established in 1997. Since then, the nonprofit has raised $486 million for children with neuromusculoskeletal disabilities, cancer and autism by hosting an annual telethon on Televisa, the country's largest TV network. In 2012, the 28-hour telethon expanded into the U.S., where it continues to air each December on the Spanish-language Univisión and Galavisión TV networks.

The San Antonio site's patient population won't be limited only to Spanish speakers or children living in the local area. Employees will be bilingual and officials expect the rehab center to accommodate patients from across the U.S., ranging from newborns up to 18 years old.

During a sneak peek of the $17 million complex at 10839 Quarry Park last week, social service workers and parents of disabled children learned about the long-term outpatient services that will be provided there, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, psychological assistance and social integration. The new building includes a swimming pool that will be used for an aquatic therapy program.

Atenas Ward, a San Antonio mother and military wife who recently moved back to Texas and is evaluating therapeutic options for her 21-month-old son with Down syndrome, expressed interest in some of the services while touring the new center.

“One thing I like is that they provide bilingual speech therapy,” said Ward, who wants her son to speak both English and Spanish. “I know it's something that is possible because I've seen it done with other children with Down syndrome, so it's important to me.”

The aquatic therapy program also appealed to Ward because children with Down syndrome generally have low muscle tone. Swimming is a good way to build their strength, she said.

Since its formation, Teletón has expanded its footprint across Mexico, where it has established 21 children's rehab centers, an autism center, a pediatric cancer hospital and a university. More than 15,000 patients are on a waiting list for Teletón's pediatric rehab services, Guzman said.

The San Antonio facility will accept up to 300 children with mild or moderate cerebral palsy and brain injuries and an additional 100 with severe cerebral palsy and brain injuries. The center has reserved 25 spots each for children with spinal cord injuries, genetic or congenital disorders, amputations and neuromuscular disorders, Guzman said. The last 100 spots will be for young children ranging from infancy up to 3 years old needing early intervention services.

Enrollment, which starts next month, can only be done by telephone, Teletón officials said. The number to call will be publicized at a later date.